Diaper Pail - What do I do? How does this work? First time Mom

Lerin - posted on 02/06/2010

I shake off any solids, and use a plastic spatula to scrape off what won't shake off on it's own. (I thought about a sprayer, but I already had the spatula. I didn't need the spatula til we started solids anyway- another good reason to postpone solids, IMO- just rinsed it down the drain.) All of them get rinsed and wrung out before I put them in the pail and I wash every other day, or sometimes every 2 days. I do sometimes leave my baby's bathwater in the bottom of the tub overnight and throw any any wet diapers and let them sit, if I am doing the wash the next am. I use Charlies Soap and love it, and line dry in the sun as often as weather permits. Otherwise the inserts go in the dryer and covers go on a drying rack over a heat vent. I also let my pail air out in the sun as often as weather permits too. I have sprinkled baking soda in there before, but couldn't really tell a difference. My pail I guess I should mention, is 35 yrs old, that my mom used for all her kids. The lid isn't tight fitting and it's got a ventilation hole in the top where you can add deodorizers- which newspaper can do the trick as an odor absorber. I keep it in my closet which is in my bathroom, where I always change the baby.

Katie - posted on 02/06/2010

I use a wet bag as well. The wet bag fits perfectly in the Dekor diaper pail that I have. I also use the pocket diapers so when one is soiled i simply shack out the inserts, wrap the covers and throw in the pail. Since I am nursing there is no need to shake out solids yet because there are none but when the time comes I plan on using a sprayer attached to our toilet to shake and rinse out into the toilet before putting in a wet bag.
When the pail is filled I put everything including the wet bag into the washer on a cold rinse cycle then a hot wash cycle. Once you get in a routine it is so simple that it's just a shame cloth diapering isn't more popular than disposables. Thankfully there are new developments in the biodegradable inserts for those moms who can't handle cloth. So at least these inserts will biodegrade in about 9 months instead of 175 years!!!

Michelle - posted on 02/02/2010

I just use a 5 gal bucket and keep it close to my washer & dryer. Since I rise out all my diapers before I put them in there there's no oder. I do my wash every 4 days or so just depends on how many diapers are soiled. I have around 20 diapers but my baby is almost 9 mos too. I was doing them every other day for the first few months.

R - posted on 01/30/2010

I use a dry pail which is a trash can I bought with a lid. It is the perfect size for an old pillow case (which I use for liners). I can't understand why one would use a plastic trash bag for cloth diapers - it can't be washed and then it's really gross when you just have to throw it out. I will put baking soda at the bottom of the pillow case or put some essential oils on the pillow case opening just to keep things smelling fresh. I've had some buildup with my detergent so right now I'm experimenting. I just stripped my diapers and now I'm using Bum Genius powder detergent. Where I am there is only one "additive free" detergent that I can buy at the grocery store or Walmart and BG detergent actually ends up being cheaper - go figure!

Heather - posted on 01/30/2010

Hi! I also use a dry pail with a tiny sprinkling of baking soda to help with odors in the bottom, throw the dipes in, and never have a problem with odors- we wash twice a week and have to kids in cds! We don't use a liner, shake out really solid #2s, and shake out liners from the pockets. I found commercial detergents build up over time and hold odors, especially when wet, so we use just about 2 TBs or so of Ecos detergent and sun the dipes for stains. No odors, no stains, no problems, we have a simple wash routine and cds are very easy to care for!

Sara - posted on 01/28/2010

I throw them in a dry pail (lined with a scented trash bag) and I leave the lid open a small crack to allow air in. It does not smell since I wash every other day. My LO is 16 months old, so I rinse any dirty diapers in the toilet before putting in the pail. I have a High Efficiency washer with a sanitize setting so I just add detergent and away it goes.

Oh, and @ Selia.....
to get out stains, hang them in the sun!! You don't even have to have them outside, they can hang inside as long as the sun can hit them. It is amazing how well it bleaches out the stains!!!

Susanne - posted on 01/28/2010

Yeah i used bambino mios and just threw them in a pail dry, smells abit but thats what the lids for. I found the best way to remove stains was drying on the line outdoors the sun really does bleach them back white lol.

Meghan - posted on 01/27/2010

I use a dry pail and sprinkle in some baking soda to absorb the smell, and baking soda is great for your first rinse and spin cycle too so your getting two uses out of it.

Hannah - posted on 01/27/2010

Hi
I used to soak, but soon decided that this wasn't really necessary for me. I was using prefolds, and would keep them in the bin with a lid on, then just put them for a rinse cycle in the machine before adding the rest of my whites and washing it all together.

Ashra's tip of putting a washcloth with essential oil to keep it smelling nice is a good one, lavendar oil is especially good for masking the ammonia smell. I think my bucket actually smelled better dry than wet!

I found the rinse cycle did the same thing as soaking (removing some of the pee before the wash) and if they are poopy then you can hold them in the loo then flush and it sluices it clean (sounds lovely but it does work fine!).

I also used disposable liners, but you can wash and reuse them a number of times, and this also makes them softer.
Good Luck!

Selia - posted on 01/27/2010

I'm lazy when it comes to sorting laundry, and therefore I just fill the washer with cold water and detergent, and throw in dipes as I change 'em. The washer is my wet pail. I throw her dirty clothes in with them too, but mine and hubby's usually collect throughout the week and get done in one cycle after I've just finished washing a load with dipes. Once it is full enough (usually once a day, every other day sometimes) I just push the start button. Too easy. True, I get more a few more stains not washing in hot, but it would be easy enough to drain the cold and do a hot wash if it is important to you. I use Fuzzi Bunz and the shell liners are quite resistant to stains, so that helps too.

Jenny - posted on 01/26/2010

We use fuzzi bunz and it's recommended to separate the inserts from the shells, so we put the shells in an open air pail and the inserts in a bucket with a lid. I spray off the shells if they are poopy, then leave them for a day or two till I have enough for a load. The shells don't stink and the bucket is shut so there's not any smell unless I go three or more days between washes. I use Charlie's soap to wash and I use 2/3 of a scoop ( less didn't get them clean, more made them stink after they were peed in). I have a top loader. I do a cold rinse with no detergent then a hot/warm wash with 2/3 scoop charlies soap and one charlie soap scoop full of baking soda (we have hard water) then a warm/cold full cycle to rinse. I have to hang dry everything cause our dryer quit, but we used to dry the inserts on high and hang the shells up to dry. Hope this helps.

Anna - posted on 01/26/2010

I do exactly what Stefie does.

Stefie - posted on 01/26/2010

I use what is called a wet bag. It is just a bag made of PUL. I rinse off any #2. I then shake out the inserts (I use a pocket style) and throw everything into the bag. When it is time to wash I empty out the bag into the washer and throw in the bag. I do keep the bag and dirties in the bathroom to avoid smells, but it does not really stink at all.

Ashra - posted on 01/26/2010

Hi there. I throw them in as they are. If they are incredibly dirty, I will rinse them and then throw them in. Some things that I learned from my Dad are 1) buy the little disposable diaper liner things. They make clean up MUCH easier. 2) take a washcloth and sprinkle it with a little bit of essential oil, then you don't get that horrible ammonia smell & 3) Tide Powder works just as well as the special soaps, just use about a 1/4 of the measuring cup. They come out soft, clean and no build up